SurvNet@RKI - a multistate electronic reporting system for communicable diseases

Area of Science:

• Public Health Surveillance
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Germany established the SurvNet@RKI electronic reporting system in 2001 for notifiable infectious diseases.
• The system is utilized nationwide by local, state, and national health departments.
• It manages a complex, distributed database for disease surveillance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design, implementation, and performance of the SurvNet@RKI system.
• To highlight its success in a federal structure and its potential for international use.
• To offer recommendations for developing similar national or international surveillance systems.

Main Methods:

• Utilized MS Access 97 and Visual Basic with MS Access/SQL Server databases.
• Implemented a distributed, dynamic database with version management and data quality tools.
• Developed an integrated query interface (SurvStat@RKI) for data publication.

Main Results:

• The system successfully handles approximately 300,000 case and 6,240 outbreak reports annually.
• It effectively manages data within Germany's complex federal system.
• The system is undergoing migration to C#/.NET and XML formats.

Conclusions:

• SurvNet@RKI demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of electronic disease surveillance in a federal nation.
• The system's architecture and features are adaptable for multinational surveillance networks.
• Lessons learned provide valuable insights for designing future electronic health surveillance systems.